1885

From The Story of Dartmouth, by John P. Martin:

In the winter of 1885, Dartmouth’s new rink attracted enthusiastic crowds to witness our first indoor hockey matches, and to participate in skating carnivals. The management put on three separate carnivals because the cold weather provided ice almost to the end of March.

The steel drawbridge was swung into place, and in March the first locomotive crossed to Dartmouth and steamed down as far as Black Rock. In October the first trainload of sugar went out from Woodside Refinery consigned to Vancouver by an all – Canadian route.

The Riel Rebellion broke out and caused some little excitement, especially when 30 Dartmouth men left for the Northwest in April. The available list of these volunteers included Captain B. A. Weston, Sergeant Wm. Fluke, Piper John “Jock” Patterson; Privates George Chapman, William Chapman, Samuel Chapman, John Meaden, Frank Clark, Starr Hill, Henry Romans, Benjamin Isnor, Edward Griffin, William Leadley, John Conrod, John Hunt, Charles Waterfield, Stewart Gentles, Edward Busby, David Johnston Jr., W. H. Walker, William C. Bishop and James Shrum. Others enlisted for service but were later discharged when hostilities ceased in June.

Dartmouth’s two large schools were now overcrowded. Little children from as far south as Woodside area were obliged to travel the long distance to Park School because Central School taught only higher grades. In the spring of 1885, a primary class for boys was started in the Town Hall, under Miss Bessie Hume.

Meanwhile a lot of land on the Burton estate was purchased for $600, and two-roomed wooden Hawthorne School constructed by John T. Walker. It was called “Ward One School”, and opened in November. Judge James deeded a strip of his field for a street to lead thither from Cole Harbor Road. He named it for his wife who was Harriet Hawthorn. But somebody tagged the letter “e” to the end of the word, and gave us the present misspelling.

More accommodation was obtained by abolishing the high school department at Central, and sending the students to the County Academy at Halifax. The Town also opened another class under Miss Mary Fletcher in the old Dustan house at ‘‘Woodside”, pending the erection of a combined church and school, adjoining “Woodside” on the east, which was being financed by the Sugar Refinery. In later years this building was moved near the plant.